On a peaceful new moon night in the quiet village of Pekutatan, Bali, I found the perfect setting free from the glare of city lights. Armed with my Fujifilm X-T5, a 16mm lens at f/2.8, and a 13-second shutter speed—and guided by the Light Pollution Map—I set up my tripod next to an old stone lantern surrounded by lush ferns and tropical plants.
The air was sweet with the scent of night-blooming flowers, and the distant sound of ocean waves created a peaceful atmosphere. As I clicked the shutter, my excitement grew. The camera’s sensor captured the starlight, revealing the Milky Way as a cosmic river across the sky.
The image on the screen was breathtaking: the stone lantern framed by greenery under a sky dotted with stars like diamonds on velvet. In that moment, I felt an overwhelming sense of fulfillment, realizing that this photograph was more than just pixels. It was a testament to the beauty and vastness of the universe and a reminder of my small yet significant place within it.